Kid Gloves Read Online Free

feeling?” he murmured as he set about getting his leatherworking tools in order.
    “Good,” Finn said. “Excited. And nervous.”
    “Me too.”
    “You’re not supposed to tell me you’re nervous,” Finn said with a tentative smile.
    Dalton offered him one in return. “Nervous to see if it works as well as I expect it to,” he said, a touch of arrogance creeping into his voice. He knew how good he was. “Okay. Let’s get started.”
    He took a long, clean piece of cloth and cut it into a thin strip that he worked around the end of Finn’s arm. It took some time, wrapping it around the stump neatly until all of Finn’s skin was protected. Then he took a jar of strong smelling, almost alcoholic liquid and bathed the cloth in it.
    “Let that dry a bit,” Dalton said and stood, replacing the few materials he’d already used in their correct places.
    “Looking at this for the past few weeks has made me feel sick,” Finn said quietly as he twisted and turned his forearm, examining how Dalton had neatly folded the cloth in on itself so there was no need to pin it in place.
    “Do you have phantom pains?”
    “Sometimes,” Finn said. “Pins and needles more often. And it itches.”
    Dalton nodded. “That’s good.”
    “It is?”
    “Yes,” he said. “It means your nerves are still working and will be more likely to reattach themselves to the magnetic points in the hand.”
    “Oh.”
    “This is going to feel heavy at first,” Dalton said as he once again sat on the floor and pulled Finn’s arm toward himself. “Let me know if it hurts.”
    The molded end of the hand fit neatly over Finn’s stump, sliding easily into place. Several inches of metal wrapped around his forearm, a counterbalance, Finn realized, to better distribute the weight. It wasn’t uncomfortable, and he leaned forward to better see how Dalton was working.
    At the very top of the metal part around his wrist there was a series of holes punched evenly through the metal and this, apparently, was where the leather came into the equation.
    Finn could sense the pride Dalton had in his work; not just the quality, but the craftsmanship and care he took with each detail. The leather was beautiful, smooth, and almost completely blemish free, probably sourced from one of the other traders along the road. It was a small piece, then again, that was all he needed.
    With a long piece of thread and an imposing needle, Dalton set to work stitching the leather to the holes in the metal. It took a while, and Finn felt his shoulder start to cramp at one point from holding the position for so long.
    “Do you need a break?” Dalton offered.
    “No,” Finn said and rotated his arm a few times. “Just needed to ease the ache.”
    “Okay. I’m nearly done here.”
    The leather was trimmed neatly, and then Dalton punched a new set of holes through the seam so that the section could be tied up tightly, preventing the mechanism slipping from Finn’s arm.
    “It might take a while for you to get used to tying this on your own,” Dalton said gently. “Is there anyone who can help you with it? A wife?”
    “No wife,” Finn said stiffly. “I’m sure one of my comrades will help.”
    Dalton looked up. “You seem eager to get back.”
    “Yes. Once it’s fully functional again, I’ll return to my unit.”
    Dalton nodded and stood once more. The hand was resting on Finn’s knee now, just lying there, doing nothing. He felt a sharp stab of disappointment.
    “It won’t happen immediately, you know,” Dalton said, reading his expression. “Give it a few minutes. Feel free to get up, if you want to.”
    To distract himself, Finn watched as Dalton finished putting his things away, then returned to his workbench and the item he’d been working on when Finn arrived.
    “How long have you been doing this for?” Finn asked, unable to stop himself.
    Dalton sighed as he turned over the contraption in his hands. “What feels like a long time,” he said.